Vasava addressed then that _Asura_ saying, "Why art thou bent on
behaving insolently to this lady? Know that I am the god who wields the
thunderbolt. Refrain thou from doing any violence to this lady." To him
Kesin replied, "Do thou, O Sakra, leave her alone. I desire to possess
her. Thinkest thou, O slayer of Paka, that thou shalt be able to return
home with thy life?" With these words Kesin hurled his mace for slaying
Indra. Vasava cut it up in its course with his thunderbolt. Then Kesin,
furious with rage, hurled a huge mass of rock at him. Beholding that, he
of a hundred sacrifices rent it asunder with his thunderbolt, and it
fell down upon the ground. And Kesin himself was wounded by that falling
mass of rock. Thus sorely afflicted, he fled leaving the lady behind.
And when the _Asura_ was gone, Indra said to that lady, "Who and whose
wife art thou, O lady with a beautiful face, and what has brought thee
here?"'"
SECTION CCXXIII
"'The lady replied, "I am a daughter of Prajapati (the lord of all
creatures, Brahma) and my name is Devasena. My sister Daityasena has ere
this been ravished by Kesin. We two sisters with our maids habitually
used to come to these Manasa mountains for pleasures with the permission
of Prajapati. And the great _Asura_ Kesin used daily to pay his court to
us. Daityasena, O conqueror of Paka, listened to him, but I did not.
Daityasena was, therefore, taken away by him, but, O illustrious one,
thou hast rescued me with thy might.
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